MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Yesterday I was reading the paper on my computer and saw an article about some trainers. I clicked on a link to connect to the manufacturers web site.
A bit later I was looking at my Instagram account on my phone and saw an ad for the exact same trainers.
Assuming it wasn't a bizarre coincidence, how does that work?
Cookies mostly
What else were you logged into? Facebook? Google?
Could have been logged into Facebook and other things. Can they see cookies set by other sites?
They see everything!
Synchronicity, innit.
You have looked at hundreds of stuff in the last 24 hours, yet only this one has popped up.
EDIT: But yes, your whole life is a smorgasbord of selling opportunities thanks to the way you allow firms to monitor and record your browsing. Every time you click on a page which has a facebook 'like' symbol on it (even if you don't click it), it lets Facebook know what you've been looking at.
Tracking blockers like Ghostery stem the flow a bit. See the Facebook/Twitter etc symbols top right on this page? Ghostery has blocked 7 tracking attempts for me on this page alone.
I dont know how it works but i get the same thing. I dont have facebook and I use 2 different Google accounts one on phone one on pc. If I look at something on pc from certain websites, I'll get advert for the same thing on my phone served up later that day. I think the only thing connecting the two is that I use one of the emails as a recovery email for the other.
It’s called retargetting and is very common. Here is an example co that offers the service: https://www.criteo.com/for-marketers/products/criteo-dynamic-retargeting/dynamic-ads-for-facebook-and-instagram/
Cookies can only be read by the domain that creates them so a cookie set by STW can't be read by FaceBook and vice versa. The problem is that it isn't just cookies relating to the domain/site you are looking at that get set, all the advertising/tracking cookies, so called "third party cookies", get set as well.
If you want to see just how many cookies get set, use a completely different browser, clear all cookies then visit one site and only one site. Now look at the cookie list. If you are patient then you could check on each serving domain but life's a bit too short for that unless you are completely anal.
Most browsers have the option to prevent third party cookies from being set, some also allow you to explicitly block cookies from certain domains: evil-org.com for example. Do that, plus install Ghostery or similar (I get six blocked trackers on this page from Ghostery).
It's built into a lot of software these days, I believe even Windows does it. You can opt out if you dig really deep into the settings.
They 'sell' the idea as this - you're going to see ads, that's what pays for content on the web, do you want to see ads for stuff you don't care about, or ads for stuff you do?
Install an ad blocker and browse in happy oblivion.
Whoever designed this advertising technique did a crap job i think, its amazing how prevalent it is -it links you to stuff you’ve already bought and sites you already know. If it linked you to proper bargains of the items you’d been checking out it may have some use. But, yeah its easy to block/ignore.
Also, opt out of targeted advertising in your Google account settings.
Whoever designed this advertising technique did a crap job i think, its amazing how prevalent it is -it links you to stuff you’ve already bought and sites you already know.
Last I heard that is actually effective in increasing sales anyway - however stupid it sounds. These people have built a multi gazillion dollar industry without charging the public a penny. Not that crap of a job...
Nice shirt by the way OP. Looks good on you.
Also, opt out of targeted advertising in your Google account settings.
But then you just get irrelevant ads on random things.....?
But then you just get irrelevant ads on random things…..?
All ads are irrelevant as I never click them or even look at them, they are just pestering annoyances that use up bandwidth and slow sites down.
Sites contain single pixel invisible “image” files which allow google and Facebook (maybe others) to track what sites people visit. From that info they are able to target the adverts.
if you want to know more google tracking pixels
Check out the Lightbeam add-on for Firefox. Browse for a while then take a look at the visualisation.
Last week I was sat with a colleague and we were briefly discussing an Irish Army Air Corps rescue helicopter. My colleague follows them on Facebook. My Macbook was on the table and I was logged into FB along with a few other sites. The screensaver was active.
Within 2 minutes of discussing the rescue helicopter that I had never heard of, I opened FB and the third item on the feed was from that rescue helicopter FB page.
Anyone would be foolish not to protect yourself whilst browsing these days..
Last week I was sat with a colleague and we were briefly discussing an Irish Army Air Corps rescue helicopter. My colleague follows them on Facebook. My Macbook was on the table and I was logged into FB along with a few other sites. The screensaver was active.
Within 2 minutes of discussing the rescue helicopter that I had never heard of, I opened FB and the third item on the feed was from that rescue helicopter FB page.
I don't think this works quite as you think ... HOWEVER that doesn't make the reality any less disturbing
A while ago my kid got a wart and I had a discussion with his mother. 10 mins later I'm being advertised wart treatments.... I haven't done anything. However me and Jnr's mother are both on FB... and we send emails to each other.. etc.
[b]I later found out she did a google search .. that google search is linked to her and by extension me. [/b]
Hence they don't need to listen!
You send an email saying your meeting your mate... or a joint mate mentions you both on FB etc. Now the magic algorithm sends you HIS advertising... perhaps Google know you're at HIS house or he is at yours... is your GPS transmitting your location or his etc.??
I had by coincidence this morning got an add on here for some very specialist software I was discussing (with a colleague)... only my very confidential work email may have mentioned this SW... except Google knows where I was all last week, it knows WHEN I landed back in the UK... it knows who I have swapped personal email's with in the past ... who also was in the same country , shared the same taxi, been in the same office at the same time last week etc.
They did a google search for the software.(I just asked them 15 mins ago).. so now its linked to me.
No less scary IMHO... but they don't need to "listen"
I had HAL’s voice in my head when I read the thread title, but for real synchronicity, only a few minutes ago I was reading a boingboing article about HAL’s voice, which is Canadian, and for real spookiness HAL is who Anthony Hopkins modelled Hannibal Lecter’s voice on, which is obvious once you know.
https://boingboing.net/2018/04/09/hals-voice-sounds-unsettling.html